Heart expert sees pacemaker as cardiac management milestone

(Medical Xpress)—The BBC reported Monday that the world's smallest' pacemaker, the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System, was fitted for the first time in England. The pacemaker is one-tenth the size of traditional models. The procedure took place at Southampton General Hospital in the UK. The Southampton venue has become the first in the UK to fit a patient with the pacemaker. Prof John Morgan, consultant cardiologist, said this marked a milestone for cardiac rhythm management in the UK. "In addition to the advantages of the device's size and wireless technology, the procedure reduces the risk of infection and extended recovery time associated with traditional, more invasive surgical pacemaker implants."

The BBC said the device used was 26mm long (one inch), weighing 2g (0.07 ounces). "At 26mm long and weighing 2g, the Micra TPS used in Southampton can claim to be the world's smallest pacemaker," said the report. Continuing its work in advanced pacing technology and device miniaturization, Medtronic had issued an announcement about the product in December last year, at the time as its being the first in-human implant, in a patient in Linz, Austria.

In a press release in April, Mark Phelps, Medtronic senior program director, diagnostics and monitoring, commented on Medtronic's advance. "Our goal isn't to make the world's smallest pacemaker; it is to make life easier for patients."

The BBC this month explained how traditional pacemakers use electrical impulses to regulate the beating of the heart; they are inserted under the skin and connected to the heart via a lead. "The lead carries electrical signals to correct slow or irregular heartbeats, but they can require replacement due to broken or dislodged wires."

This video is not supported by your browser at this time.

Micra Transcatheter

Medtronic's explanation in the December announcement was that the new device is delivered directly in the heart through a catheter inserted in the femoral vein. Once positioned, the pacemaker is securely attached to the heart wall; there is no need for wires. The Southampton procedure is part of a global clinical trial. Southampton General is known for a number of specialist services based there, ranging from neurosciences and oncology to cardiology.

"While pacemakers have saved countless thousands of lives over the past seven decades since the first devices were implanted, one of the major drawbacks has been complications related to the pacing lead that is put in to deliver electrical impulses to the heart," said Prof. Morgan.

In May, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation made news, also announcing the implant of the world's smallest pacemaker. The device was implanted by Dr. Charles Gornick at Abbott Northwestern Hospital as part of the global pivotal clinical trial and the procedure was said to be the first of its kind in the Midwest. "This miniaturized technology is designed to provide patients with the advanced pacing technology of traditional pacemakers via a minimally invasive approach," said Dr. Gornick.

Related Stories

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) announced today the first implant of the world's smallest pacemaker at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. The device was implanted as part of a global clinical ...

(Medical Xpress)—Device maker Medtronic has accomplished a feat in device miniaturization, this time in the form of an implantable cardiac device the size of a large vitamin. Earlier this month, Minneapolis-based ...

Recommended for you

The general rule for treatment of patients in cardiac arrest is that once resuscitation measures have begun, they must be continued uninterruptedly until the patient shows signs of life or is pronounced dead. A new study ...

(HealthDay)—For patients with ischemic heart disease, responses to antiplatelet therapy (APT) vary between pre-discharge and one week after discharge from hospital, according to a study published online ...

Cholesterol-lowering statins have transformed the treatment of heart disease. But while the decision to use the drugs in patients with a history of heart attacks and strokes is mostly clear-cut, that choice can be a far trickier ...

About five million people in the US suffer from heart failure, and approximately half of them die within five years of being diagnosed. Only about 2,500 hundred people a year receive a heart transplant – th ...

A team of investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California have developed the first fully implantable micropacemaker designed for use in a fetus with complete heart ...

(HealthDay)—The overall death rate from high blood pressure in the United States has increased 23 percent since 2000, even as the death rate from all other causes has dropped 21 percent, health officials ...

User comments

Please sign in to add a comment.
Registration is free, and takes less than a minute.
Read more

Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.